Announcements

We are pleased to announce that the website of the MDPI Sustainability Foundation has been revamped! For the past couple of months, our UX UI team and front-end developers have been working hard to launch the website in time for the opening of the Sustainability Awards nominations.

The website is not the only thing that has had a remodeling. Indeed, the format of the Emerging Sustainability Leader Award (ESLA) has been updated. ESLA is now a competition open to individual researchers or start-ups founded by researchers under the age of 35. Nominee applications will go through 2 rounds of selection until the final 3 are decided. The finalists will then be invited to give pitch presentations during the Award Ceremony to win either first place (10,000 USD) or runner-up (2 x 5000 USD).

The World Sustainability Award, on the other hand, remains the same: a total prize money of 100,000 USD is up for grabs by senior individual researchers or groups of researchers from the international research community.

Nominations for both the World Sustainability Award and the Emerging Sustainability Leader award are now open! Check out our new website for more information on how to nominate.

1. “DNA Metabarcoding of Deep-Sea Sediment Communities Using COI: Community Assessment, Spatio-Temporal Patterns and Comparison with 18S rDNA”
by Atienza, S.; Guardiola, M.; Præbel, K.; Antich, A.; Turon, X. and Wangensteen, O. S.
Diversity 2020, 12(4), 123; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040123
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/123

2. “Vulnerable Forests of the Pink Sea Fan Eunicella verrucosa in the Mediterranean Sea”
by Chimienti, G.
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 176; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050176
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/5/176

3. “Meiofauna Life on Loggerhead Sea Turtles-Diversely Structured Abundance and Biodiversity Hotspots That Challenge the Meiofauna Paradox”
by Ingels, J.; Valdes, Y.; Pontes, L. P.; Silva, A. C.; Neres, P. F.; Corrêa, G. V. V.; Silver-Gorges, I.; Fuentes, M. M. P. B.; Gillis, A.; Hooper, L.; Ware, M.; O’Reilly, C.; Bergman, Q.; Danyuk, J.; Sanchez Zarate, S.; Acevedo Natale, L. I. and dos Santos, G. A. P.
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050203
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/5/203

4. “Patterns in Alpha and Beta Phytoplankton Diversity along a Conductivity Gradient in Coastal Mediterranean Lagoons”
by Stefanidou, N.; Katsiapi, M.; Tsianis, D.; Demertzioglou, M.; Michaloudi, E. and Moustaka-Gouni, M.
Diversity 2020, 12(1), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12010038
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/1/38

5. “Structure of Rhodolith Beds and Surrounding Habitats at the Doce River Shelf (Brazil)”
by Holz, V. L.; Bahia, R. G.; Karez, C. S.; Vieira, F. V.; Moraes, F. C.; Vale, N. F.; Sudatti, D. B.; Salgado, L. T.; Moura, R. L.; Amado-Filho, G. M. and Bastos, A. C.
Diversity 2020, 12(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020075
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/2/75

6. “Turbid Coral Reefs: Past, Present and Future—A Review”
by Zweifler, A.; O’Leary, M.; Morgan, K. and Browne, N. K.
Diversity 2021, 13(6), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13060251
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/251

7. “Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives”
by Marambio, M.; Canepa, A.; Lòpez, L.; Gauci, A. A.; Gueroun, S. K. M.; Zampardi, S.; Boero, F.; Yahia, O. K.-D.; Yahia, M. N. D.; Fuentes, V.; Piraino, S. and Deidun, A.
Diversity 2021, 13(6), 274; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13060274
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/274

8. “Diversity of Seahorse Species (Hippocampus spp.) in the International Aquarium Trade”
by Koning, S. and Hoeksema, B. W.
Diversity 2021, 13(5), 187; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050187
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/5/187

9. “Review of Harmful Algal Blooms in the Coastal Mediterranean Sea, with a Focus on Greek Waters”
by Tsikoti, C. and Genitsaris, S.
Diversity 2021, 13(8), 396; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080396
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/8/396

10. “Effect of Different Salinity Levels on Population Dynamics and Growth of the Cyclopoid Copepod Oithona nana”
by Magouz, F. I.; Essa, M. A.; Matter, M.; Mansour, A. T.; Gaber, A. and Ashour, M. 
Diversity 2021, 13(5), 190; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050190
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/5/190

Our Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office have selected a number of papers to be displayed in the Editor’s Choice Articles section, and all of them have proven to be particularly interesting to authors or otherwise important to the field. Recently, the Editorial Office has selected the following papers from the most-cited publications of 2021.

1. “Turbid Coral Reefs: Past, Present and Future—A Review”
by Adi Zweifler (Zvifler) et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(6), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13060251
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/6/251

2. “Italian Vascular Flora: New Findings, Updates and Exploration of Floristic Similarities between Regions”
by Adriano Stinca et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 600; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110600
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/11/600

3. “Karstic Landscapes Are Foci of Species Diversity in the World’s Third-Largest Vertebrate Genus Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 (Reptilia: Squamata; Gekkonidae)”
by Lee Grismer et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(5), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13050183
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/5/183

4. “An Overview of the Helminths of Moor Frog Rana arvalis Nilsson, 1842 (Amphibia: Anura) in the Volga Basin”
by Igor V. Chikhlyaev et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020061
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/2/61

5. “Orchids of Mongolia: Taxonomy, Species Richness and Conservation Status”
by Shukherdorj Baasanmunkh et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(7), 302; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13070302
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/7/302

6. “Effects of Human Disturbance on Terrestrial Apex Predators”
by Andrés Ordiz et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 68; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020068
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/2/68

7. “Avian Haemosporidian Diversity on Sardinia: A First General Assessment for the Insular Mediterranean”
by Irene Pellegrino et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 75; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020075
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/2/75

8. “Annelid Diversity: Historical Overview and Future Perspectives”
by María Capa
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030129
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/3/129

9. “On the Diversity of Phyllodocida (Annelida: Errantia), with a Focus on Glyceridae, Goniadidae, Nephtyidae, Polynoidae, Sphaerodoridae, Syllidae, and the Holoplanktonic Families”
by Daniel Martin et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030131
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/3/131

10. “The Future of DNA Barcoding: Reflections from Early Career Researchers”
by Danielle M. Grant et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(7), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13070313
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/13/7/313

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the research groups behind these exceptional papers for their contributions to Diversity (ISSN: 1424-2818). We would greatly appreciate it if you could circulate this document among your colleagues or through your network.

If you want to learn more about the contributions published in the Editor’s Choice Articles, please click the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity/editors_choice.

Peer Review Week began 19 September 2022 under the theme of “Research Integrity: Creating and Supporting Trust in Research”. Through various blog articles, podcast, and webinar, we discussed this crucial subject throughout the week, celebrating the essential role peer review plays in maintaining research quality.

To begin, we held a Webinar on the topic. Professor Peter W. Choate and Dr. Emmanuel Obeng-Gyasi joined Dr. Ioana Craciun, one of MDPI’s scientific officers, for an in-depth discussion.

We invite you to view the event recording:

During the week, the MDPI Blog in a series articles highlighted how good Peer Review safeguards research integrity. The following topics were covered:

• Peer Review Week 2022
• Research Integrity
• What We’ve Learned About Peer Review Reports
• 4 Steps to the Perfect Peer Review Report
• How to Write the Perfect Peer Review Report: An Interview
• Inviting Great Peer Reviewers

In a new edition of Insight Faster, an MDPI podcast, we were delighted to talk to the co-chairs of the Peer Review Week committee, Jayashree Rajagopalan (Senior Manager of Global Community Engagement for CACTUS) and Danielle Padula (Head of Marketing and Community Development at Scholastica) to get their take on this year’s event and its related topics.

You can find the Podcast here.

We hope you enjoy the contents!

Our Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office have selected a number of papers to be displayed in the Editor’s Choice Articles section and all of them have been proven to be particularly interesting to authors or otherwise important to the field. Recently, the Editorial Office selected the following papers from the most-cited publications of 2020:

1. “Potential of DNA Intercalating Alkaloids and Other Plant Secondary Metabolites against SARS-CoV-2 Causing COVID-19”
by Michael Wink
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050175
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/5/175

2. “A Common Approach to the Conservation of Threatened Island Vascular Plants: First Results in the Mediterranean Basin”
by Giuseppe Fenu et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(4), 157; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040157
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/157

3. “Plant Diversity Patterns and Conservation Implications under Climate-Change Scenarios in the Mediterranean: The Case of Crete (Aegean, Greece)”
by Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(7), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12070270
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/7/270

4. “Austrian COLOSS Survey of Honey Bee Colony Winter Losses 2018/19 and Analysis of Hive Management Practices”
by Hannes Oberreiter et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(3), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12030099
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/3/99

5. “More Than a Functional Group: Diversity within the Legume–Rhizobia Mutualism and Its Relationship with Ecosystem Function”
by Benton N. Taylor et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(2), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020050
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/2/50

6. “Revised Calculation of Kalinowski’s Ancestral and New Inbreeding Coefficients”
by Harmen P. Doekes et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(4), 155; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040155
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/155

7. “The Role of Climate and Topography in Shaping the Diversity of Plant Communities in Cabo Verde Islands”
by Carlos Neto et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(2), 80; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020080
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/2/80

8. “Longitude, Forest Fragmentation, and Plant Size Influence Cycas micronesica Mortality Following Island Insect Invasions”
by Thomas E. Marler et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 194; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050194
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/5/194

9. “Highlighting the Crude Oil Bioremediation Potential of Marine Fungi Isolated from the Port of Oran (Algeria)”
by Ahlem Maamar et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 196; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050196
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/5/196

10. “Knowing the Enemy: Inducible Defences in Freshwater Zooplankton”
by Patricia Diel et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(4), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12040147
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/12/4/147

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the research groups behind these exceptional papers for their contributions to Diversity (ISSN: 1424-2818). We would greatly appreciate it if you could circulate this document among your colleagues or through your network.

If you want to learn more about the contributions published in the “Editor’s Choice”, please click the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity/editors_choice.

A range of MDPI journals will be attending INTECOL 2022 as exhibitors. This meeting will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 28 August to 2 September 2022.

“Frontiers in Ecology – Science and Society” is the general theme of the conference. With an estimated number of 1500 participants coming to Geneva, and as many following the conference from a distance, the conference aims to bring the state-of-the-art expertise in ecology to the forefront of societal challenges.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Diversity (leading);
• Sustainability;
• Forests;
• Ecologies;
• Environments;
• Plants;
• Animals;
• World;
• Quaternary;
• Earth;
• Resources;
• Applied Sciences;
• Birds;
• Climate;
• Water;
• Fishes.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth #03. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit http://intecol2021.org/, or contact the Diversity Editorial Office at diversity@mdpi.com.

1. “Endangered Apes—Can Their Behaviors Be Used to Index Fear and Disturbance in Anthropogenic Landscapes?”
by Melissa A. Reisland et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(12), 660; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13120660

2. “Water Quality Analysis in a Subtropical River with an Adapted Biomonitoring Working Party (BMWP) Index”
by Guillermo Magallón Ortega et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110606

3. “Issi saaneq gen. et sp. nov.—A New Sauropodomorph Dinosaur from the Late Triassic (Norian) of Jameson Land, Central East Greenland ^†”
by Victor Beccari et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 561; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110561

4. “On the Diversity of Phyllodocida (Annelida: Errantia), with a Focus on Glyceridae, Goniadidae, Nephtyidae, Polynoidae, Sphaerodoridae, Syllidae, and the Holoplanktonic Families”
by Daniel Martin et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030131

5. “Endocranial Anatomy of the Giant Extinct Australian Mihirung Birds (Aves, Dromornithidae)”
by Warren D. Handley et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030124

6. “Varietal Threat Index for Monitoring Crop Diversity on Farms in Five Agro-Ecological Regions in India”
by Mohammad Ehsan Dulloo et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(11), 514; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13110514

7. “Annelid Diversity: Historical Overview and Future Perspectives”
by María Capa et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(3), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13030129

8. “The Future of DNA Barcoding: Reflections from Early Career Researchers”
by Danielle M. Grant et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(7), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13070313

9. “Turbid Coral Reefs: Past, Present and Future—A Review”
by Adi Zweifler (Zvifler) et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(6), 251; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13060251

10. “Functional Diversity of Soil Nematodes in Relation to the Impact of Agriculture—A Review”
by Stela Lazarova et al.
Diversity 2021, 13(2), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/d13020064

We are pleased to report that the 2021 Impact Factor of Diversity increased to 3.029 in the recent release of the Journal Citation Reports ®. Diversity (ISSN: 1424-2818) now ranks Q2 in the JCR “Biodiversity Conservation” and “Ecology” categories. We are grateful to all the scholars who have witnessed the journal’s growth with us!

Impact Factor

Citable Items & Citations

Source: data according to Journal Citation Reports ®, 2021 release, a Clarivate Analytics product

The 2021 citation metrics have been released in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), and we’re pleased to announce the following results for MDPI journals:

For more information on Impact Factors and what it means to index academic journals, please visit our related blog posts.

* Journals given their first Impact Factor in 2022

Source: 2021 Journal Impact Factors, Journal Citation Reports ^TM (Clarivate, 2022)

1. “Glassfrogs of Ecuador: Diversity, Evolution, and Conservation”
Juan M. Guayasamin et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(6), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12060222

2. “Roles of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi on Plant Growth and Performance: Importance in Biotic and Abiotic Stressed Regulation”
Nathalie Diagne et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(10), 370; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12100370

3. “In-Situ and Ex-Situ Biodiversity Conservation in Ecuador: A Review of Policies, Actions and Challenges”
Carlos Mestanza-Ramón et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(8), 315; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12080315

4. “Potential of DNA Intercalating Alkaloids and Other Plant Secondary Metabolites against SARS-CoV-2 Causing COVID-19”
Michael Wink
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050175

5. “Meiofauna Life on Loggerhead Sea Turtles—Diversely Structured Abundance and Biodiversity Hotspots That Challenge the Meiofauna Paradox”
Jeroen Ingels et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050203

6. “Microplastics in Freshwater: What Is the News from the World?”
Alessandra Cera
Diversity 2020, 12(7), 276; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12070276

7. “Exquisitely Preserved Fossil Snakes of Messel: Insight into the Evolution, Biogeography, Habitat Preferences and Sensory Ecology of Early Boas”
Agustín Scanferla et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(3), 100; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12030100

8. “Sustainable Utilization of Indigenous Goats in Southern Africa”
Phetogo Monau et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12010020

9. “Visual Adaptations in Predatory and Scavenging Diurnal Raptors”
Simon Potier
Diversity 2020, 12(10), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12100400

10. “Morphological Disparity of the Humerus in Modern Birds”
Francisco J. Serrano et al.
Diversity 2020, 12(5), 173; https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050173